The Special One: The Dark Side of Jose Mourinho Paperback – January 27, 2015

It's a very entertaining read and sheds light on the other side of Mourinho. It doesn't give him enough credit for the records he broke to win the league but the halo certainly slipped. The author seems to have good access to all the main protagonists.

The book is well written and well researched, but it almost comes as a surprise that some football was even played during the three years of Mourinho's reign. The writer does not view the problems from Mourinho's side - presumably he wasnt available for comment, but at any rate the author's aim is to show the three years as living hell for most of the Madrid players. Yet despite all the criticism aimed at Mourinho, we don't get a satisfactory explanation why they and the Club overall were able to put up with him for so long.

Did Jose Mourinho really conspire to lose a second leg tie in the Champions League against Barcelona to blame it on the referee? Was he an explicit booster for his agent Jorge Mendes's business through his Real transfer dealings? Did Mourinho really break down when he wasn't given the United job? How did the Real players really behave in the dressing room? And what about the curious case of Fabio Coentrao?Answers are here given by Diego Torres, written in an entertaining and salacious style. If it is 80% true, this is the best book written on Jose Mourinho. But there are serious doubts on the veracity of this account, as well as the impartiality of Diego Torres. In the absence of further information it is impossible to know who is telling the truth and who is lying, but I do have serious doubts on the tale foretold. What manager would give up a tie with just a two-goal deficit against your arch-rivals?

It is a good portrait of a micro manager on a sports team. It shows that what you see is not always what you expect to get from super star talent. Even winning doesn't cure all ills in a sports setting.

Absolute vilification of Mourinho, most of it baseless. Tries to potray mourinho as the man who screwed Real Madrid and was meant for everything bad. Also laments about stuff which are not true like saying Di Maria was a waste of a player and that no one was ready to buy for 30 mil Euros, stuff proved wrong in 2014(the book published in 2k12).

Well documented book giving me a insight into how soccer management has shaped over the years. Jose Mourinho is a well respected manager in the soccer world today and his reads are always welcome by me.

Very revealing insight into what makes the "Special One" tick. And if anyone says this is fiction remember that subsequently Chelsea signed Falcao

Its a interesting book. You get the drama, so you'll understand how and why things turned out like they did. Its was a bit long. It felt like you can retell this story in about 10 minutes.